RESUMEN
Severe burn injuries often result in significant long-term physical complications with scarring and contractures, but cancers associated with chronic burn scars are relatively rare. We report a case of a 58-year-old man with skin cancer arising from a healed burn scar. He initially suffered from an extensive fire burn on both lower limbs as a child. The burn scars extended from his upper thighs to his toes bilaterally and caused severe contractures which immobilized the ankles in plantar flexion. Two years ago, he noticed a small ulcerated lesion on the right heel and self-treated it with topical ointments. However, the ulcer increased in size and became malodorous. He presented to a clinic with a large, ulcerated, tumorous lesion, and histology proved it to be squamous cell carcinoma. He subsequently underwent a right below-the-knee amputation, and the previous scars presented on the stump. Thus the patient received a total surface bearing prosthesis with an Icelandic roll-on silicone socket system, which is ideal for patients with extensive scarring at the stump because it may reduce prosthesis-induced stump injuries by evenly distributing the patient's weight in the socket. After he left the hospital, he walked so far with the prosthesis every day that small ulcers often developed at the right popliteal fossa. However, he did not take care to treat these lesions properly, so we had to educate him on how to treat them. Patients such as these will often require education for self-management, family involvement and regular follow-up to monitor scar ulceration and watch out for any malignant transformation.
RESUMEN
The patient, a 72-year-old man, was admitted for disuse syndrome after left lower thigh cellulites, who originally developed left hemiparesis at age 60. At the time of admission, he was alert, his Body Mass Index was 18.5 and his FIM (Functional Independence Measure) score was 49. We thought this was a case of post stroke disuse syndrome manifesting after long-term bedridden inactivity. He underwent a hospital rehabilitation program; however, he gained only poor functional recovery after one month. He complained about nighttime snoring and awakening from sleep. So he was evaluated with a portable device for SAS (Sleep Apnea Syndrome). His ESS (Epworth Sleepiness Scale) was 21, his Apnea-Hypnea Index was 58.2 and his lowest SpO<sub>2</sub> level was 75%. With a diagnosis of severe SAS, he was treated with nighttime nCPAP (nasal Continuous Positive Airway Pressure). After treatment, his lowest SpO<sub>2</sub> level rose to 90%, and the patient's excessive daytime sleepiness (ESS=15) and ADL (FIM=85) improved. When patients exhibit poor recovery after training, the possibility of SAS should be taken into consideration and they should be tested accordingly.